No Holding Back
by Barako
Summary: After the incident at the Transmigration Festival tournament, Songi wants a rematch... a "fair fight", he says, much to Gala's suspicion. With their resentment of one another stronger than ever before, what will come of this? Gala/Songi, slash, non-canon, a year and a half prior to the beginning of the game. Rating may change in later chapters. Two-shot, possibly three-shot.
1. Part One

Author's Note: Hi guys! I'm super excited to finally get this story out there, I've been working on it for a while. Anyway, there's a fair bit of cursing in this unlike my other stories, thanks to Songi being a bastard. Also, in case you missed the warning, this is slash, and the rating may change, so... if you don't like it, don't read! I'm having crazy fun writing my OTP though, and I hope you'll enjoy it! ;u;

Special thanks to nicoleb for beta-ing the crap out of this! And also for fangirling like crazy about these two with me and probably inspiring this in the first place! XD**  
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**No Holding Back**

Part One

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"So, _Master Teacher_." The voice was coarse and sarcastic, and spit out the title like it was something distasteful.

"Songi." Gala turned around, frowning. "How many times have I told you, you don't need to use that title. You're-"

The redhead rolled his eyes. "'My _friend_', right?" He spat on the ground, a disgusting habit he had formed lately to further show his disdain. "Let me get this straight with you," Songi approached Gala and stopped when their faces were only inches apart. "I am **not** your friend."

A flicker of hurt could be seen in the younger man's eyes, quickly covered up by a deeper scowl. "What do you want, Songi?"

He laughed derisively in reply, leaning backwards, with his hands on his hips. "So the muscle-bound oaf isn't always so slow, after all. I want a fight, _Gala_," The name came out rough and fraught with hatred, only spoken to sarcastically do as Gala said, and a wicked sneer spread across his lips. "And this time I want it outside, away from your cheering squad and Our Lord and Master Zopu. Maybe then we'll finally have a fair fight, hmm?"

The brunette folded his arms, managing to keep his expression the same despite anger, hurt and betrayal bubbling hot and raw underneath its surface. "If you really wanted a fair fight, you wouldn't have drugged me at the tournament. The Jigul grass. I _know,_ Songi. I expected better of you."

The older one smirked darkly, raising his eyebrows. "I was merely leveling the playing field," he said as nonchalantly as possible, casually reaching his hands behind his head to stretch his neck. "Come on. Spar with me, like the good old days." He added with a cunning grin.

Gala was no idiot, although Songi would certainly say otherwise. He knew that this was likely just another trap. Despite how close they had once been, Songi could no longer be trusted. But anger and unresolved emotions burned within him, and even his extreme willpower could not overcome his desire to understand what this man was thinking.

"...Fine."

Songi blinked, then quickly covered up his surprise with another shit-eating grin. "I knew it." He really didn't, but thankfully he was a good liar. He was sure it would take more than a small bit of egging Gala on to get him to agree to this. Perhaps the man was dumber than he thought? Or perhaps he was getting soft and had delusions of Songi giving up his game as soon as he agreed to play? Either way, getting Gala to agree this soon was a great boost to his ego. "Meet me near the north exit at 1 AM. The guard on duty loves his naps. See you then, _Master Teacher._"

As the redhead cockily sauntered off towards the kitchen, Gala was left to simmer in a jumble of his own thoughts and feelings. _Hopefully, _he thought, _we will be able to resolve this tonight._

* * *

Close to the appointed time, Gala found Songi waiting for him at the north exit to the temple.

"You're _late, _Gala!" He practically had a genuine smile on his face at this. Almost. "Hahahaha! It feels **great **to say that! Wow, no wonder you've always liked rubbing that in my face!"

Gala looked at the man with an expression of pure dislike. _I was just trying to look out for you those times, _he thought, but his misgivings with Songi stopped him from turning his thought into words. "Are you done yet? Let's go, before the guard wakes up."

"Touchy, touchy," the redhead chided snidely. "If you really want to rush to your defeat, I won't stop you! Follow me, I know somewhere nice and safe..." He smirked, opening the door with a special key he had likely swiped from Zopu. A thin layer of Mist swirled above the ground outside.

Inwardly, Gala gulped. This hadn't been the first time he had ever set foot outside the monastery since his arrival, but it had certainly been a while. And it had never been while the Mist was around. For a moment, he considered asking Songi to reconsider, but imagining his reaction to that was far worse than stepping into this Mist. So, following after Songi, he stepped outside, closing the door behind him.

After a couple minutes of walking in prickly silence, Songi brought them to a small clearing in a circle of trees. They were not far from the monastery; only far enough that they would not be heard, and the Mist was thin enough that the great walls of the place could be seen from between the trees.

Quickly, Songi loosened up and took a fighting stance, standing a few feet away from Gala. "Prepare yourself!" He sneered.

Gala only had a moment's time to prepare before Songi came charging at him as if airborne, his fist flying towards his stomach like a battering ram. Not a second too late, Gala blocked the fist with his own hand, standing firm but being forced to step back from the momentum behind the punch. Immediately Songi's other fist came whooshing towards Gala's face, but he managed to duck out of the way in time.

"Too direct," Gala said, as he rammed his skull straight into Songi's abdomen. The muscles there were surprisingly tight, as if Songi had prepared for the blow, but it still hit and it still hurt.

The older man stepped back and coughed, then spoke with a growl. "First hit means nothing if that's the only one you'll get."

Gala adjusted his stance, feet firm and set wide apart. _Any second now, _he thought, _Songi will pull a trick out of his sleeve, I know it. Coming at me early can not be the only thing he was planning._

This time, at the first sign of Songi springing to action, Gala charged at him with full force as well. They each let out a flurry of punches, both deflecting the other's blows with ease. It had been quite some time since the two had fought each other, and both were surprised and frustrated that they were so evenly matched.

Gritting his teeth, Songi jumped back. The two began to circle one another, slowly and carefully watching each other's every slightest movement.

_This is it,_ Songi thought. _This is my chance to prove once and for all that I'm stronger than this pitiful bastard. I just gotta wait for an opening... find some way to make him lose his balance..._

Suddenly, Gala ran at him, fist pulled back close to his body at an angle.

_Going for my face, huh?_

Songi lunged towards Gala, aiming his fist in the same way. But just before impact, just before their fists would have collided with each other's faces, Songi let out a kick in mid-air, hitting Gala hard in the shin and toppling him over. Animosity and satisfaction were written all over Songi's face as he aimed another kick right for Gala's stomach as he lay on the ground.

Gala coughed hard, sputtering little droplets of blood, and glared up at the older man. "That's cheap..."

Songi laughed coldly, then grinned. "Oh, but it's fair! You had an opening, and I took it!" Seeing Gala's look of anger and resentment only fueled his own, and he readied another kick at him.

Unfortunately for him, Gala saw the second blow coming and grabbed Songi around the ankle, toppling him over as well. The brunette jumped to his feet, grimacing at the pain in his stomach for a moment before standing up straight. "I'm pretty sure you didn't like that either."

Songi scowled, hatred burning inside him both like a painful wound and a powerful fuel, and he quickly got to his feet. Gala was right, he _hated_ it, and that only made him want to pummel him more. Beat him to a bloody pulp, more like. He tried to think up something witty to say, not wanting Gala to see any weakness in him, but it was too late. The younger man met his eyes with a knowing look. He knew. He saw.

It was as just as if Gala were saying, _I can see how weak you are. It's so obvious..._

Songi's rage erupted violently, and he ran screaming at Gala at full speed. The other man readied himself to defend, but, taken off guard by the sudden outburst, could not block before Songi's fist came crashing down on the side of his face and he was sent flying backwards.

Barely managing to regain his footing and not fall over again, Gala was only given a moment's time to shrug off the throbbing pain shooting through his head before Songi's fist came at him again, this time towards his stomach. Determined not to get hit again, Gala grabbed Songi's fist in one hand and simultaneously plunged his own fist hard into his stomach.

Songi stumbled back, doubled over and grimacing. The second blow to his stomach had hurt much, much more than the first, and it was all he could do to keep on his feet. He wanted more than anything to immediately launch into another attack, but his body wouldn't let him. Not yet.

Gala stood ahead of him, breathing hard, letting his body recover from the beating it had taken. He wanted to be ready for Songi's next attack, even if it meant giving him a chance to recover. Perhaps this would give him a chance to talk some sense into the man.

"Why..." Gala paused to breathe heavily, "Why do you want to win against me so badly, Songi? What did I..." Pant, pant. "...Ever do to you?"

Songi looked at the man, feeling sick and disgusted. He enjoyed the company of hateful, resentful Gala much more than the one who wanted to 'understand' him, to ask questions, to take some sick pleasure in making him better in order to prove his own superiority. Revolted, he spat hard on the ground, saliva mixed with blood.

"Don't act like you don't know!" He yelled fiercely. "You think you're so much better than me, Gala, but I know the truth. You're just as selfish and twisted as you think I am, you fucking bastard."

A mix of anger and disbelief ran through Gala's mind. What Songi was saying honestly made no sense to him. But the last thing he'd said... _you're just as selfish and twisted as you think I am..._ stung extra hard, although he couldn't see why. Was it selfish that he wanted to help his best friend? Was it selfish that he wanted to give him a fair fight? Was it selfish that he'd become Master Teacher instead of Songi? _No,_ it wasn't his choice or even his goal to rank superior to the immensely frustrating man in front of him. _It wasn't my fault. _But at these words, something burned darkly inside of Gala, something that frightened him.

"...I knew it." Songi smirked. "Poor little Gala, afraid of his own shadow. Scared what you'll see without pathetic little Biron on your side?" The brunette jerked suddenly, body reacting in anger to the taunt against his faith. "Oh, I touched a nerve? _Good._ If you won't face your darkness yourself, I'll MAKE you! And then I'll beat all the life out of you, _best friend!_"

Enraged and aghast, Gala ran at Songi and hit him hard in the chest with a flying knee kick, the other man countering with a vicious uppercut to Gala's chin. At this point, Gala didn't care that Songi had basically just turned this into a duel to the death. He didn't care to explain himself, or to listen to what this asshole had to say. Rage had taken him over, and all he wanted now was to pummel the man into the ground.

Neither of them took long to recover from the hits they'd just received, adrenaline coursing through their veins. Pain was for later, and certainly not in front of their opponents. Songi sent another punch straight for Gala's face, but he sidestepped it in time, landing a fierce blow to Songi's cheek. A trickle of blood ran down the redhead's lip, and his head rushed, but it only seemed to spur him on to fight harder. Gritting his teeth, Songi swung a kick towards Gala's side – but he blocked it with a kick of his own, and the two jumped apart.

As much as he'd never outwardly admit it, Songi could see that Gala was strong. This was not going to be an easy fight, especially now that this rage he had only caught glimpses of before was overflowing from the other man. But, that look on Gala's face, of pure hatred, all of the disgusting pity nowhere to be seen, was so immensely satisfying to Songi that he almost wanted to make the fight last. _Almost,_ but not quite. Finally defeating him would be so much more delicious...

Licking the blood from his lips, Songi crossed the distance to Gala and feinted a punch towards his chest. As the other man moved to block it with his arm, Songi quickly sidestepped around Gala, pounding his fist hard into Gala's back. Gala spun around, tendons yelling in response, swung out his right arm, and landed a powerful blow on Songi's stomach before he could manage to dodge, causing him to be sent backwards into a nearby tree.

The redhead's body made a nasty _thud_ against the tree, no doubt causing him to feel terrible pain and all sorts of bruises. Slowly but deliberately, breath erratic from exertion, Gala stepped towards him. Songi lay relatively motionless, body beaten and unable to stand, and looked up hazily at the figure approaching him.

_So this is it, huh... This is all I was worth? Heh... maybe everyone was right about me after all..._

Coming to a stop beneath the other man's feet, Gala looked down at Songi, unable to form a coherent thought. A feeling of a sort of dark emptiness ran through him as he looked at him lying there.

"...What's the matter, Gala?" Songi coughed, throat choked up from his injuries. And _oh Tieg,_ the coughing sent shooting pains through his stomach. "Don't tell me you're too much of a coward to finish me."

As Gala looked down at the man before him, his rage instantly dissipated, and all sorts of emotions suddenly rushed through him. _What have I done?_ Yes, Songi deserved the beating he took. Yes, he'd betrayed him again and again, and couldn't be trusted. Yes, he was a selfish, lazy, authority-hating, rule-breaking, egomaniacal, dishonest bastard that stood for all Gala detested, but... seeing him lying there like that, Gala's heart broke.

"Songi, you _**idiot**_," he choked out, and dropped to his knees at Songi's side.

The redhead winced and closed his eyes, preparing for the hit. _I __**am**__ an idiot, _he thought to himself, _just let this be over already. Anything has to be better than this defeat..._

The last thing he was expecting was to feel Gala's lips on his, warm, rough and salty with blood, kissing him with sudden emotion. Songi's body stiffened in shock, and after a moment Gala pulled away, not really understanding himself what had just happened.

"Is this some kind of sick joke?!" Songi spat out, incredulous.

Gala stared back at him, completely overwhelmed with what he had just done. For one thing, he had just broken a fundamental rule of Biron monks, which was to stay celibate and only have platonic relationships. And... moreover, he... he... had he just kissed a man? Who had even heard of such a thing? The most disturbing thing of all though, was that he didn't understand _why _he did it in the first place. It had just come out of him, out of some dark, uncontrolled place inside of him he wasn't aware existed.

But... It had felt _good. _Terrifying, wild, illogical, full of selfish desire, but good. Gala's pulse raced in a way it never really had before, his body trembled slightly, and despite his usually near-perfect self-control, there was nothing he could do about it. Part of him, a part so surprisingly large it scared him, said yes, this was right. But the feelings made no sense... he hated Songi, he cared about Songi, he was his best friend turned worst enemy... and then _this_ on top of all of that? It all felt... irreconcilable.

Ashamed, exhilarated and unsure, Gala replied quietly, "I... I don't know."

Songi eyed him carefully, noting his furrowed brow, embarrassed expression avoiding his gaze, and... was he shaking? _H...holy shit. Did he just fucking kiss me for real?_ He felt sort of... sick. Yet excited. Yet sick at himself for feeling excited. He hated this stupid bastard, hated how perfect everyone thought he was, hated how he'd made Songi into his pet project just to show off how much better he was than him... And yet, rather than defeating him in his moment of detestable weakness, he'd kissed him, losing all self-control and throwing the rules of Biron out the window. That wasn't like him at all.

Was _this_ the dark secret Gala had been hiding behind that stupid inscrutable serious face he was always making? He knew the oaf wasn't everything the other monks thought he was, something Songi had constantly tried to prove, but wow, he had no idea something like this was hidden under all that dumb muscle and stuffy attitude. Had he really... _wanted_ him all this time? The whole time Songi had been fighting to prove his superiority, had he already had control over Gala but not known it? A rush of excitement, adrenaline and some unknown feeling he couldn't name ran through the older man, making him temporarily forget his pain.

There was only one way to find out if he was right.

Before Gala had a chance to react to his sudden movement, Songi grabbed his face in both hands and kissed him roughly, looking him straight in the eyes. Taken completely off guard, Gala stared back motionless for a moment. Then, to Songi's great pleasure and satisfaction, his eyes rolled back and his eyelids fluttered shut, giving in to his kiss and returning it, overcome with emotion. Neither of them was very good at kissing, having had absolutely zero practice at it, so their mouths came together messily until finally they parted, panting and flushed, looking at each other cautiously.

_What the hell was that,_ Songi thought, overwhelmed by unfamiliar sensations. For a few moments there he'd just lost himself in the kiss, given into some sort of wild animalistic desire, and maybe Gala had gotten the impression that the redhead _liked_ it, but... he was just doing this to test his power over him, yes. _That sick fuck. _Songi smirked widely. "You enjoyed that, didn't you Gala? You depraved bastard. I always knew you were hiding something." He sneered.

"I..." Gala stammered, conflicted. Was Songi just messing with him? But that... that had been so satisfying even though his mind told him it was wrong. It was as if all the tension and animosity between them had heated up and transformed into something new and exciting, from pain into pleasure. _Had_ he wanted this all along? His body said yes, his heart said yes despite some fear, but his mind protested loudly. "I..."

"You can't lie to me, Gala," Songi said off-handedly. "I saw how much you liked it."

The brunette avoided his gaze, brow heavy. The other man grinned. "Oh yes, that guilty face is the _best_. It really suits you..."

Gala's cheeks reddened, and a flicker of anger lit up inside him. "_You..._" he spoke roughly to mask his hurt, "You felt the same way. I'll prove it."

Not having any idea where this was coming from, Gala pinned Songi against the tree, straddling his waist, and kissed him deeply, his hands gripping the redhead's shoulders with great strength. Songi struggled against him a bit, weakened from their fight, until finally, sour defeat mixed with an unfamiliar desire, he gave in and kissed back, trying to overpower him.

To his surprise, Gala gave in quickly, almost as if he wanted Songi to take the upper hand. As the younger man's grip on him became gentler, Songi took the opportunity to push him onto his back against the ground, straddling him and smirking arrogantly, leaning in towards Gala's breathless face for another kiss. He had never felt quite this powerful before...

"I told you that you liked it too." Gala said matter-of-factly, right before the redhead's lips could touch his.

Songi glared at him, unable to stop a slight red flush from coming over his cheeks. "You know, I could kill you right now if I wanted to."

"But you won't."

"Fuck you, Gala," the older man snapped, gripping his hand around Gala's neck. For a moment, the brunette stiffened, caught off guard, until Songi's lips came down on his roughly, and his hand moved up and threaded its fingers through his hair.

It all felt so good to Gala, all thoughts just suddenly vanished from his head. It was almost as if he were in a meditative state; except instead of sitting calmly, devoid of thought and sensation, he was doing the exact opposite. He was feeling everything he'd tried so hard before not to feel; desire, anger, frustration, pleasure... and all those complicated feelings he had for this man who was presently overwhelming him with that inexplicable confidence of his. If this was against Biron's laws, well, it still felt right.

Songi broke their kiss for a moment, catching his breath and looking down at the man below him with an unreadable expression. What _was _this? _God, I fucking hate this asshole, but this is so... so..._

"Why do you hate me, Songi?" Gala asked suddenly. "I've wanted to know..."

The redhead flinched. "Like hell you don't know!" _Of all the arrogant, self-glorifying things he could ask, and at a time like this..._

Gala looked up at him, concern and hurt in his eyes. "I really don't."

Gala's expression was like a stab to the heart to Songi, now that his guard had been let down enough for him not to immediately erupt into anger and bash the man's face in. "You... you should!" He said, flustered, then put on a look of contempt. "All those things you do to act _concerned _for me when you're really just trying to make yourself look better to everyone else... all those times you pretended to encourage me when you were really trying to make me look like an idiot so Zopu would praise you instead... I know you, Gala. I see you for who you really are. A **hypocrite**. _Somebody_ has to hate you, and those monks are just too blind and stupid to see through your lies."

Gala stared back at him, taking it all in. "That's really it?"

Songi grit his teeth, gripping the grass around Gala's head hard in his fists. "_Yes._ Yes, that's it! What the hell were you expecting, some goddamn sob story?"

The younger man shook his head slowly, looking down. "No... I just never knew you saw things that way."

Songi scowled, and spit into the grass a few feet away from them. "Well now you know. And now you're gonna go ahead and spout some shit about Biron and tell me I'm wrong, right? But I'm not, you miserable coward."

"No."

"_What?_"

"No, Songi, I... I'm sorry. I never noticed that all that praise got to you... I didn't even want it, and I felt bad when it happened in front of you, but it always seemed to roll off of you. You'd just roll your eyes and start bragging about yourself, I really had no idea."

"You damn liar! I _know_ you did all those things just to make yourself look good. Why else would you call me out on all the things you thought I did "wrong", to try to make me into some fucking perfect Biron devotee? God, Zopu would be all over _that. _You'd be head of the monastery in no damn time."

"I just wanted to help you! You've always had more talent at fighting than me, and I just wanted to see you finally get recognized for it..."

...Was this actually happening?

"What did you just say?" Songi demanded, looking straight into Gala's eyes.

"You're more talented at fighting than me, and I wanted to see you get recognized."

His eyes looked honest, but there was no way he was telling the truth. "That... that's bullshit. You don't actually think that."

Gala looked back at him with just as much disbelief. "Of course I do! Songi, we both know, if you'd just show up for practice every day, I'd have been the one who lost tonight."

Strange feelings stirred within the older man, but doubts overpowered them. "Yeah, right, like I'm gonna believe that's what you think. I'm not stupid."

"No... you're not. But I must be. How could I not notice I was hurting you? I was too distracted, because I -"

"_Hurting_ me? Hah! Don't give yourself that much credit. You didn't _hurt_ me, I just _hate_ you because you're such a miserable-"

"- I was too ashamed to admit that I..."

"You _what?" _The redhead yelled impatiently.

"I love you." Gala blurted out with a pained expression, face red.

Songi's chest jumped, and he froze, just staring at him.

"T-that's what I was hiding. I didn't even let myself realize it, until I saw you lying there... Some perfect Biron monk I am, huh?"

This was just too much for Songi to handle. He couldn't even think of a witty remark to say to insult the other man. Pushing himself off the ground, he stood up and walked a few feet away, facing the other direction.

Gala sighed and lay back on the ground, frowning deeply. He'd felt so scared to say that for so long, it was a huge relief to let it out there. But this definitely wasn't the reaction he'd hoped for. Then again, what could he expect? But the man _had _kissed him back, so he'd thought that maybe...

"Y-you're sick, you know that? Saying that kind of thing..." The older man said, still facing away. "I'm going back to the monastery now. Stay here and get eaten by Seru if you want, I don't care."

Feeling more hurt and betrayed by this man than ever before, Gala heard Songi's footsteps as he walked out of sight.


	2. Part Two

Author's Note: It's starting to get awful shippy in this chapter, so if you're not into that, please don't come complaining to me! Thanks again to Nicoleb for beta-ing the crap out of this, it was tons of help as always! This is going to be a three-part fanfic; the next chapter will be the last. Again, if you're out there reading this, please let me know what you think with a review! :)

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**No Holding Back**

Part Two

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Songi felt shaky and sort of sick as he limped away towards the monastery. Most of the adrenaline from their earlier antics now gone, he felt the pain of his wounds rather keenly.

_Gala, in love with me? Yeah, right, _he thought, feeling disgusted. But, thinking about what he'd just said, he felt equally disgusted with himself. Like hell he'd admit it though. Besides, even if the stupid bastard hadn't been lying, who'd even heard of a man being in love with another man? The thought had never occurred to him, and with the whole celibacy thing, he knew the other monks wouldn't like it. Not that any of their stupid rules mattered to him...

He had half a mind to lock the sorry imbecile out here to die when he got back. He did have the only key, after all.

Out of the clearing now, he leaned against a tree for a moment to let himself rest. _Looks like Gala's not quite dumb enough to follow me back,_ he thought bitterly, though other thoughts nagged at the back of his mind. _What if he was telling the truth? That he thinks you're talented and wants to help you, and that he l... _No. The man was not to be trusted. Frowning, he clenched his fists and stood back up.

Just then, a sound like a thunderclap rang through the air, followed by a shout.

_Seru?_

Was it a Seru?

And wasn't that Gala's voice?

_I just told him to get eaten by Seru and now it's actually happening. Well, good riddance._

As soon as the thought surfaced, Songi felt something very unfamiliar... _guilt. _As much as he kept trying to tell himself he wanted the man to die, as much as he hated his guts, it made him sick to the pit of his stomach to think of leaving him there.

Driven by impulse, adrenaline quickly rushing through his veins again at the prospect of danger, Songi dashed off in the direction from which he'd came, running between trees until he reached the clearing.

Gala was lying on the ground about twenty feet away, back propped against a tree. A Seru monster floated menacingly in front of him, its two bladed appendages crackling with electricity as it readied another attack. From where he was, Songi could not tell if Gala was still conscious or not. Not having much time to react, he gave the monster a once-over.

_There's a break in its armor in the middle of its body. Could be its weak point. Hell if I know how these damned things work, but it's worth a shot._

As quickly as he possibly could, Songi ran out from the trees, and before the Seru could stop its charging and turn all the way around, slammed his fist hard into the creature's back, using his speed and momentum to give his punch extra force. Apparently that was all it took to send the thing crashing into the ground and cracking into pieces, as its electricity harmlessly discharged into the ground below. _Guess that was its weak point after all. _Not wanting to be surprised later, he stomped down hard on its fractured body. It showed no sign of movement, simply breaking apart more and pressing down into the earth._ Yeah, it's gotta be dead._

His eyes moved slowly across the grass, from the lifeless Seru remains to Gala. He seemed rather weak, and his clothes around his midsection were somewhat singed, but he was very conscious and gaped at the redhead in disbelief.

"You... you saved me."

Songi suddenly felt very uncomfortable. In these past few years of hating Gala, he'd imagined doing all sorts of awful things to him and causing him all kinds of pain... but never saving his life. Why _had_ he saved this insufferable lunkhead? He'd wanted nothing more than to see him gone forever, and yet, when he saw the man was alive, staring at him dumbstruck like the idiot he was... strangely, Songi felt something oddly akin to relief.

His defenses frantically searched his mind for a scathing retort, but his heart wasn't in it, so he came up short.

"Y-yeah, well, you better watch out 'cause I'm not doing it again."

"Thank you," Gala managed to say, gratitude and sincerity clearly showing through in his voice. But, why had Songi saved his life? This had to mean that, as much as he refused to admit it, Songi still cared about him enough not to leave him for dead. If that was true... maybe there was hope after all. Perhaps someday they could be friends again... and, well, that would have to be enough. It was definitely more than Gala had hoped for in quite a long time.

Gala's forthrightness pierced through Songi in a way that caught him off guard, and made him feel uneasy about himself. He wanted to leave, but at the same time, he was rooted to the spot. "You'd better be grateful if you know what's good for you," he snapped. "Now come on, get up and follow me back to the monastery, unless you want me to leave you here and let another Seru do you in."

Another pang of guilt. God, what he wouldn't give to be anywhere else right now.

The brunette nodded and pressed his palms hard against the ground to push himself up – and let out a loud hiss of pain, lying back against the tree again. "Nngh... it hit me with some kind of electric shock... I don't think I'll be able to go anywhere for a while."

_Shit._ Well, this left Songi with two options. Either support Gala and help him walk back home, which was _completely_ out of the question, or stand around and wait for him to recover. Or, of course, the third option of leaving him to fend for himself, but he'd already determined that some unwanted force inside of him was stopping him from doing that. None of those options sounded even remotely appealing.

"Are you sure? That wound doesn't look too bad, even for a weakling like you."

"I'm sure." The younger man replied, unamused.

Songi hesitated for a moment. "_Fine._ I'll stand around bored out of my mind and wait for you to feel better. Don't you feel special?"

Gala nodded, grateful for whatever kindness he could get out of him. "Thank you. I really appreciate it."

"Oh go to hell, Gala!" Songi yelled, walking around to the other side of the tree. "I'm sick of this already. Just sit there and get better soon so I can go home and get some sleep."

The brunette sighed quietly and leaned back against the tree trunk, relaxing his body as much as he could, and hoping for the pain to go away.

* * *

Ten minutes or so passed in an awkward silence before either of them spoke again, Songi sitting down and leaning lazily against the same tree that Gala was propped up on, leaving a couple of feet between them.

"About earlier..." Gala began hesitantly, "I shouldn't have said anything. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable."

Songi clenched his fist at his side in response. The _nerve_ this man had. Like he actually cared. Maybe he was trying to cover his ass, for Tieg knew what reason, but he had to be full of it. "_Please_, save me the bullshit. I know you just said it to mess with my head. Be _honest, Master Teacher. _Biron hates liars, remember?"

The brunette scowled a bit at that last remark, then shook his head. "I really wasn't lying." The redhead snorted derisively in response, and Gala turned his head to look at him. "I swear to Biron, I was telling the truth."

Songi quickly broke eye contact with him, looking away. There was that same unnerving honesty as before, making him drop his guard and not know what to say. He had never heard Gala swear to Biron about anything that wasn't completely serious and true; after all, this was _Master Teacher_ here. But this was the same man who had gone from being his best friend to the one who completely ruined his life. And now here Gala was, after he had kissed him, which was _so _fucking weird – though Songi had definitely participated willingly for at least some of it – apologizing, telling him he was talented and that he loved him... and swearing to Biron that it was true?

He didn't know what to think. Gala couldn't be lying, but he couldn't be telling the truth, either. He couldn't...

"...Sorry. I shouldn't have said anything." Gala said quietly, feeling disappointed and somewhat heavy. Perhaps it was for the best...

"Y-yeah, maybe not." Songi stammered, staring at his hands. "Are... are you feeling better now? Not that I care, but, you know..."

Gala shrugged his shoulders slightly. This was odd, coming from him. "A little bit, but," he bent over to stand and felt a sharp pain run through his stomach, "Ahh... I still can't stand. And my legs are still a bit numb."

"Geez, Gala, that thing got you good. And I took it out in one hit. Heh."

"I wasn't looking. It didn't make a sound, either, it just snuck up on me. It was shameful; I should have been more aware of my surroundings. Thanks again, for saving me back there. To be honest, I really didn't think you would."

"Yeah, well, what would've happened if I'd brought your dead body back to Zopu, huh?"

Gala paused. That was an upsetting thought, but it didn't make sense. "Why would you bring it back at all?"

Songi flushed, anger and embarrassment tangling together like a knot in his stomach. His lies were running awfully thin. "Fuck, I don't know! Just be grateful I was stupid enough to save your ass in the first place, okay?"

The brunette smiled slightly, the corners of his mouth upturned. "I am."

"Hmph." Songi folded his arms and looked down.

"What about you?"

"What _about_ me?"

"Are you feeling okay? I hurt you pretty bad earlier, and your cheek is swelling up..."

_Ugh. _This open, friendly attitude from Gala was pissing him off. At the moment, he'd rather cut his own arm off than admit his wounds still hurt. "What are you talking about? Of course I'm fine! I'm not weak like you! Shit, I mean half your face is purple. You look like you've been possessed by a Seru; you'll be lucky if Zopu doesn't kick you out the moment he sees you."

Gala chuckled softly. "You might be right. This isn't going to be fun to explain..."

"Yeah no shit," Songi replied, rolling his eyes. "Why are you so calm about this? The other monks are practically gonna have your head on a stick for this, you know. You're '_Master Teacher',_" he said the title in a sing-song voice, "you're supposed to be an example. Who knows, they might take away your title!"

The younger man nodded solemnly, ignoring the other's mocking, even slightly gleeful tone. "I know."

_Why the hell is he so calm?_ Songi thought, extremely frustrated. He would have loved to see Gala in a panic over the predicament he was in, but this... this was just annoying. He _really_ wanted to get a rise out of him, just to break this increasingly awkward exchange of pleasantries that Gala seemed so oddly comfortable with.

"You should be crying like a baby! Your life is over, Gala!" Okay, so maybe it was an exaggeration, but fuck, he was desperate for _some_ kind of unpleasant reaction.

Gala looked at him suspiciously. "Songi, you must really want me to be upset for some reason."

Ugh. Dead on. Damn it. "Tch. Like _I_ care what goes on in that underdeveloped brain of yours!"

The brunette raised an eyebrow and frowned slightly. "Alright, then." A pause. "If you must really know, I'm not looking forward to Master Zopu's reaction to all of this. But... I did what I did because I wanted to, for once. If that makes me unfit to continue as Master Teacher, then that's for the best. Perhaps I need more training."

Resentment bubbled up in Songi's chest. He was so... _humble _with his guard down like this_, _not at all the self-serving Gala he'd built up in his mind during their increasing animosity. It was immensely aggravating, yet some part of him felt awful for being so aggravated by it.

"That's _it?" _The redhead spat.

"Well... yes."

"It's gotta bother you more than _that!_" Songi exclaimed, becoming more and more agitated by the second._ "_You won't be able to stand around and bark orders at everyone anymore! They're all going to see you for the pathetic loser you really are!"

"I don't care about any of that. What's more important is..." Gala paused, wondering whether or not to finish his sentence.

"More important? Oh. Let me guess._ Biron. _God, you're so full of shit."

Gala sighed. "What's more important is that we're talking again."

That struck Songi like a ton of bricks, although he did his best not to show it. He was rapidly beginning to remember why he started hating Gala in the first place – he always, **always** knew how to make him feel absolutely terrible. Those were not feelings Songi had any desire to confront or examine, and so the best thing for him to do was –

"Oh fuck you, Gala!" Songi snapped, standing up suddenly. "I **hate** you, get that through your head! The only reason I am wasting time talking to an idiot like you is because I am bored out of my skull out here! Whatever delusional idea you have about us suddenly being nice to each other is none of my business! Stop pretending to be my fucking friend!"

Gala felt a hot spark of anger at his words. As much as he cared for him and tried to stay calm and balanced, Songi's behavior was just so _terrible _that Gala's first impulse was to tackle him to the ground. Luckily for Songi, that was impossible given his injury, and he looked up sharply and clenched his fists instead. "How do you even _stand _yourself?"

Songi rolled his eyes again. "Says the poor wimp who can't even _stand_."

"Just... just stop it, Songi. If you truly do hate me as much as you claim, you would have left me here to die."

_Shit. _He had to say that, didn't he. It... it did make sense. But Songi had no idea why he felt so sick when he had almost left Gala to die, and he wasn't about to admit that to him. "Shut the hell up, Gala! What makes you think you understand me? You don't know anything!"

"No. Maybe I don't. But I think I'm right."

Ugh, this new, persistent Gala was even more annoying than the old, whiny one. "Well, you're wrong!" There had to be a good excuse, there had to be a good excuse... "I'd gladly have left you here, but how would I explain that to everyone? They all hate me, they'd just love to pin your death on me and kick me out of there. I only kept you alive to save my own skin. That's it!"

Gala frowned. His explanation did seem quite logically founded, but something was off. "Hmph. I guess that may be true."

"It **is.**So shut up and stop trying to get all buddy-buddy with me before I punch your stupid face in."

"But it doesn't explain why you kissed me like that."

_!_

Without warning, Songi leapt up and grabbed Gala by the shoulders, throttling him and pushing his back hard into the tree. "Don't you EVER bring that up again. Or else I'll..."

"Or else you'll what?"

"Or else I'll..." In that moment Songi realized just how close he was to Gala's face, and hesitated. He could smell the other man's skin from where he was, and underneath all of his rage he felt a strange, stirring feeling...

Knowing full well that it was a dangerous move, Gala reached up and gently touched the side of Songi's face, brushing his fingers across his cheek. Songi started, eyes wide and... fearful? _Was _that fear Gala was seeing? Whatever it was, it was quickly masked by anger as Songi grabbed Gala's wrist hard enough that it hurt.

"_What are you doing?_" Songi said darkly, more a command than a question.

Taken by surprise, Gala straightened his shoulders and set his jaw, bracing himself for a possible attack.

"I said, _what are you doing?"_ Songi snarled, his grip tightening around Gala's wrist.

Gala had to choose his words carefully. One wrong move and he might get hurt far worse than he already was. Although it did seem as if Songi would be unable to leave him here, even if that did happen...

"What are you so afraid of?"

Songi's eyes flashed with anger, and he let go of Gala disgustedly. "What the hell are you talking about? You think I'm afraid of _you? _Gala, you're delusional!_"_

"No. No, I don't," he replied, touching his hurt wrist. "But you're afraid of something. You won't even talk about what happened. I'm not going to tell anyone, if that's what you're worried about."

"That's because there's nothing **to** talk about!" Songi said loudly. "I was just trying to stay alive!"

Gala looked at him with an open expression. "Songi, you're the one who hates me, and you still couldn't leave me to die. What makes you think that I could even come close to killing you?"

"You idiot, I told you that was -"

"- To save your own life, right. But I don't believe you. You didn't kiss me just because your life depended on it, I – I could tell... the way you were uh... you know..." His cheeks tinged with red, Gala broke eye contact for a moment, too embarrassed to describe what they had done in detail. "You weren't just giving in so I would spare you, far from it."

Songi's eyes narrowed, and he folded his arms. Although the last thing he wanted to do now was admit it, Gala was right. Kissing him earlier had stirred up... _something _inside of him, something that made him both excited and highly uncomfortable at the same time. But letting down his defenses around this man was unthinkable. Some impenetrable force – perhaps it was pride, perhaps it was fear – just would not allow it. After all, how could _Songi_ be _vulnerable?_ He had to be better than that. Even if Gala had... had loved him, had praised him, what if it was all just to make him look a fool?

"Y... you're wrong." Songi mumbled, out of excuses.

Gala paused, observing him closely and seeing the breaks in his facade. "I don't think I am."

"Yeah, well, to hell with what you think!" Songi yelled, putting his hands on his hips in his usual defiant manner. "You're always right about _everything, _aren't you? _Master Teacher_ does everything right, doesn't he?"

"How can you say that? I broke so many rules of Biron tonight..." Truthfully, Gala did feel some guilt towards Biron for what he had done... but being honest with himself and to Songi felt so freeing, in a way that simply following the rules of Biron alone hadn't.

"Yeah, in front of me! You're going to go back and act like this is all my fault, aren't you? And no one will believe me, right?"

Gala shook his head. "No, I would never do that. This is as much my fault as it is yours." He glanced down for a moment, gathering his resolve. "I would even admit to Zopu everything that happened, if that's what it took to get you to trust me."

"You... you wouldn't. You're just saying that to manipulate me."

"Why would I do that? What would I even get out of it?"

Songi thought about it for a moment, but he couldn't find a good answer.

"You really want me to hate you, Songi, don't you?"

"Oh just shut the hell up already, Gala!"

"But I really do love you, Songi. Even if you can't accept it."

"I said, **shut up!**" Songi yelled. Filled with embarrassment and frustration, before he knew what he'd done, he had punched Gala in the side of his face.

Gala groaned with pain and leaned to one side, bracing himself with one arm and lightly touching his wounded cheek with his free hand. The skin was already bruised from Songi's earlier hits to it; and it throbbed painfully to the point that he found himself holding back involuntary tears. Rather than attempt to retaliate or ask why Songi had done it, he just sat there nursing it and trying to clear his mind of the pain.

Songi looked at Gala at first with pure indignation. But as he watched him sitting there, grimacing with pain as his cheek swelled, he began to feel absolutely awful.

"How _dare _you," Songi spat, speaking in a quiet growl.

"How dare _**I**__?_" Gala replied incredulously, staring up at him with his hand still against his face. "You're the one who just punched me!"

"It's – it's your fault! You deserved it, you sick... sick..." Songi trailed off, feeling rather sick himself. "Just fuck you, okay!"

"What is wrong with you?" Gala looked up at him with a mix of hurt and disbelief. "I didn't do _anything_ to deserve that. I was just trying to find some way we could understand each other."

"Oh, just cut out your stupid friend act already! I don't buy it one bit!"

Gala took a deep breath. This was not working. "...Alright. If you want me to act like I hate you, then fine. You are really trying my patience, anyway. That _hurt,_ you bastard." He glared at Songi, spitting a bit of blood into the grass.

"It better have!" With every word that came out of his mouth, Songi found himself feeling worse and worse. "You fucking moron, I know that you _really_ hate me, don't pretend you don't. Tell me the god damn truth!"

"You want the truth?" Gala sat up straight and looked up at Songi defiantly. "Alright, here it is. You are a complete idiot. You think everyone is out to get you, and you won't trust anyone, not even people like Maya who love you. You are the laziest, most selfish person I have ever met; you are horribly disrespectful to everyone you meet behind their backs; and even though you want everyone's attention, all you do are things to fulfill your thought that everybody hates you. If you just took Biron's teachings to heart or actually let yourself go and meditate, maybe you would realize how to make your life better, but of course you won't. And despite all of that, despite spending your every waking moment trying to get me back for something that you caused yourself, despite you betraying me and now punching me in the face for no reason, I still love you and I still care about you, because I'm an idiot too."

Songi stared at Gala, his mouth open and his eyes wide in disbelief. This was the first time he had ever been so thoroughly and openly insulted in his life. And yet, at the same time, that string of insults and criticism came with Gala still insisting that he cared about him. He wanted to feel angry more than anything, but he just... didn't.

"...Damn, Gala, you **are** an idiot."

Gala glared at him with exasperation and a bit of disappointment. After he'd gotten all of that off his chest, after he'd spilled out all his feelings for Songi to see, he was just going to take the opportunity to insult him further? This... this man was impossible. Maybe he was really an idiot for even trying to make him understand. Maybe he was just a lost cause–

Gala's thoughts were abruptly interrupted by Songi kneeling over him and kissing him on the lips. Gala was so shocked that he didn't even kiss back before Songi broke apart from him.

"I still hate you, you know," Songi said, looking slightly hurt and embarrassed.

"Then... what _was_ that?"

"I don't know, okay! Does it really matter?"

"It does a little bi– _mmph..." _Before Gala could finish his sentence, Songi had pressed his lips back against his, both hands gripping his shoulders.

_Does it really matter what this is? _Gala wondered for a moment, before giving into his powerful urge to kiss the man back, putting his arms around his back and pulling him closer. Songi was a prideful man; maybe he couldn't admit his own feelings, or maybe he really did hate Gala but found himself attracted to him somehow... Whatever the reason was, the closer they got and the deeper their kiss became, the less it began to matter to Gala if he knew or not.

Songi felt a rush of sensation as Gala pulled his chest flush against his own. The closeness felt a little scary, but he found his pulse pounding. Driven by this strange new desire, Songi slowed down their kiss and tentatively brushed his tongue against Gala's lower lip. Gala let out a low, soft sound, which seemed to push Songi over the edge and he opened Gala's mouth with his tongue easily. Neither of them quite knew what to do with their tongues; so it was a bit awkward, and their mouths tasted faintly of blood from their earlier injuries, but something about it filled them both with a sense of urgency and threw all logical thoughts from Gala's mind.

Taken aback by the intensity he was feeling, Songi broke apart and paused to catch his breath. Gala stared at him with an open, breathless expression, panting, face flushed.

"You..." Songi began, looking down, then caught his stare and glared at him. "You really piss me off, you know that?"

Gala raised an eyebrow, highly confused by his contradictory behavior. "I'm aware."

"Fuck," Songi leaned back, annoyed at the whole situation, "why am I even doing this?"

"Does it really matter?" Gala repeated, completely deadpan.

"Kind of-" Songi stopped abruptly, suddenly aware of the trap he'd just managed to fall into. "Just... just shut up, okay."

Gala did not say anything, but instead hid his amusement at Songi's response and let him gather his thoughts.

Songi honestly found it rather hard to think straight about this at all, especially with Gala right here in front of him... partly _underneath_ him, actually. Suddenly uncomfortable with that fact, he stood up and walked a few paces away.

_What is wrong with me? _Songi thought bitterly, his ego wounded from having given into his impulse yet again. Not that his impulses were generally anything he resisted, but _kissing Gala?_ What the hell was that about? Although he didn't have any real experience before this, Songi at least had enough common knowledge to know that you generally only kiss people that you actually _like_. And it wasn't as if he was so pathetically desperate for attention that he would just make out with the first person to pay him a compliment... if that were the case, then _Maya_... Just the thought alone made him want to vomit.

But Gala... Gala had always been one step ahead of him. He'd always gotten the things Songi had wanted most, one after the other; and then tried to 'help' him figure out why Songi hadn't gotten them, the patronizing fuck. There was no way he could put those years of resentment behind him, that feeling of justified rage...

But what if he'd been wrong about Gala all along? What if he was telling the truth? What if he had actually been looking out for Songi all these years?

And on top of all of that, why did kissing him have to feel so... so... _good_? If these stupid emotions weren't in the way, if only it weren't Gala, he would probably still be all over him, unleashing his long pent-up desires on the poor, unsuspecting man. But, he was a _man, _and that was weird too, though it bothered him a lot more that it was _Gala_ of all people. A woman may have been much nicer to look at than that muscleheaded oaf here, but that wasn't his chief concern; after all, the women at the monastery were all so boring anyway...

"Aaaaarngh!" Songi yelled and punched a neighboring tree, sending a shower of leaves to the ground below. Gala, watching him, frowned with concern.

_Damn it. _The truth of the matter was, Gala got to him. He got under his skin, like an annoying rash that doesn't go away no matter how much you scratch it. He made him feel all these things he did not want to feel – anger, guilt, defeat – and the last thing he wanted to do was lose to Gala by admitting to any of those feelings. But he couldn't get away from the guy. He was stuck out here with him – not for any logical reason, but because the stupid guilt the idiot gave him wouldn't let Songi leave him here. He saw the bastard every day at the monastery, hell they even slept in the same monks' dormitory... there was really no escaping him. It made him absolutely crazy.

But... but maybe, if he couldn't get rid of Gala, perhaps he could make his presence more bearable?

Songi heard a shifting of leaves behind him and spun around out of reflex. Gala was rather shakily standing up, bracing himself against the tree.

"I think I might be able to walk now, if you want to go." Gala said, looking downwards.

"Oh, hell no," Songi snapped suddenly. The younger man looked up at him in confusion, brow furrowed. "You aren't going anywhere."

"What are you talking about?"

The redhead walked towards Gala, hand on his hip. "I'm not letting you leave here. Not now, not after all of this. I'm not letting you go and blab to Zopu."

Gala froze. What was Songi planning? Was he seriously going to attack him again, after what he'd just done? Songi was the most unpredictable person he'd ever known, so he didn't have a clue...

"I wouldn't!"

"How do I know that?" Songi asked with his usual slight smirk, now standing about a foot or two away from Gala.

"I already told you, I-"

Songi's eyes flashed. "And _I_ already told _you_ I don't believe you." He paused, considering what to say next. "Unless... you can find some sort of way to convince me."

"What more can I do? I've tried everything I can, you just have to believe me."

"I don't _have_ to do anything. And for your information, I think there are still a few things you haven't tried..."

"Like what?" Gala inquired with caution. He was beginning to not like the sound of this.

A devious grin spread across Songi's face. "Like, for instance, you could bow down and worship me. Maybe I will reward you, if you do a good job."

Gala scowled at him admonishingly. "Songi, my feelings for you do not change my faith. And does Biron really mean nothing to you, that you would even suggest such a thing?"

"Hahaha!" The redhead laughed loudly, so much, in fact, that he had to bend over slightly and brace himself on one knee in order to keep his balance. "Oh Gala, the look on your face there was priceless! How do you take yourself so seriously!"

"That was a joke to you?" Gala asked incredulously.

Songi shrugged shamelessly, lifting his eyebrows and looking upwards. "I just wanted to see if you would actually do it. Not that I really expected you to, but it _would_ have been rather satisfying..."

The younger man's face remained locked in a frown.

"Don't you have any sense of humor locked up there in that mostly unused brain of yours?" Songi jeered. Gala's frown only grew deeper, and Songi rolled his eyes in response. "Apparently not."

"Well, can we go now?" Gala asked impatiently, ready for this conversation to be over. _How can I even be attracted to someone like this..._

"Afraid not," Songi shrugged again, putting on as blank a face as he could muster.

"Songi, what kind of game are you playing?"

"This one." The older man grinned, grabbing Gala by the shirt around his neck and pinning him firmly against the tree.

Gala tightened his muscles, preparing himself to fight back if need be. "W-what are you doing?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," Songi teased, then brought his lips down hard onto Gala's, his collar still tight in his grip.

Totally thrown off by this turn of events, Gala attempted to open his mouth to say something, but Songi overpowered him, covering his mouth with his own, the speech vibrations carrying across their lips.

_Yes... yes, this is great... Why should I care that it's this stupid stoic idiot? That has nothing to do with it! Feelings have nothing to do with it! All it is is... this... _Using his free hand to reach up and touch the side of Gala's face, he felt the brunette shudder in response, and watched him close his eyes as he gave in. Relishing in his control over Gala, Songi wondered just how far this power could take him...

...Not very far, apparently. Catching the redhead off guard, Gala pushed him away with considerable force. Songi stumbled back a few paces before losing his balance and falling backwards, catching his own weight with his palms behind him.

"I – I won't let you manipulate me, Songi." Gala stammered, his movements uneasy but his jaw set. "You can't claim to hate me and then do that. I won't allow it. This may be a game to you, but it isn't to me."

Songi held back a wince at the pain from his fall and got to his feet. _God, Gala is so irritating... "_What's wrong with you, Gala? I'm not manipulating you... you enjoyed that, I saw how you reacted..." He smirked, wiping his mouth off on his hand.

Gala glared, embarrassed. "...Physical aspects be as they may, I can't just let you disregard how I feel and do whatever you want to me. If you aren't going to be honest, I am going home."

_Shit. Why does he have to make everything so difficult? Honesty, hah, like he's one to talk... _As soon as Songi thought those words, he felt a nagging feeling of doubt pull at him. Maybe Gala had been telling the truth, and he was just too stubborn to listen? And... what would the harm really be in being honest with him? There wasn't much that Gala could do, especially injured like that... _But it would be totally humiliating!_

Not knowing what to do, Songi blurted out, "Screw you, Gala!"

Feeling very hurt, Gala frowned and closed his eyes, lowering his head, then turned and began to limp away.

"...Damn it Gala, you can't just walk away!" Songi yelled after Gala's retreating figure, but there was no response.


End file.
